Chief Medical Officer
The Chief Medical Officer is the highest ranked healer and practicioner of medicine within the Kingdom of La'Hansi. This position is considered to be one of the most prestigious in the kingdom, above most nobles but still below the Royal Family and Council. For this reason, the position can only be filled by appointment by the Royals of La'Hansi, and the position remains filled until either the death, retirement, or forced removal of the current Chief Medical Officer. Duties The duties of the Chief Medical Officer are vast; in addition to the normal duties of a healer and doctor, the holder of this position is in charge of overseeing and supervising all of La'Hansi's official medical facilities to ensure that they are running at peak efficiency. As a result, the person holding the position does have the authority to certify, hire, and register freelance healers and doctors with the Kingdom. The duties of the Chief Medical Officer also affect the other kingdoms as well; the delivery of medicines made in La'Hansi to the other kingdoms is done on the Chief Medical Officer's orders. For this reason, it's often a necessity for the holder of this position to establish ties with emissaries from the other kingdoms. While it is not an official duty of the Chief Medical Officer, often those who hold the position are medical researchers, as the various resources at their disposal make research both productive and efficient. All of the people to become the Chief Medical Officer have done research to varying degrees, so it's widely accepted as an unwritten duty. History of the Position 'The First' The first Chief Medical Officer was appointed two generations prior to the current events. The Royal Council felt that it would help add stability to unite the various medical resources of the kingdom under a single person, who in turn would report to them. To that end, they decided to choose one of the most competent medical experts in the kingdom for their new position. After an intensive search, they settled upon a candidate; Lady Rasana Whittaker, a noble doctor of La'Hansi, became the first Chief Medical Officer in the year 1934 TC. Rasana held the position for 44 years, making her the person to hold the position for the longest period of time. Under her leadership, she made a push for magic and medicine to be used together rather than separately when it came to healing, proposing the idea that the two could be physically combined. Unfortunately, many of the early attempts at this were nothing short of disastrous, causing cases of magic poisoning in test subjects. As such, these "magic infused medicines" never went public in her lifetime. However, she was still considered to be somewhat popular amongst both the citizens and nobles due to increasing the efficiency of the medical systems in La'Hansi. 'The Second' In the year 1978 TC, Rasana passed away due to natural causes at the age of 77, leaving the position vacant. After some consideration, the Royal Council selected her successor, a man by the name of Bader Kappel. Unlike his predecessor, Bader was not a noble, but was still rather ambitious, becoming one of the more well known doctors in the kingdom despite coming from an average, middle class family. His ambition made him appear to be one who might be able to improve upon the success of the previous officer, so he was given the position. Ambitious was the perfect way to describe his actions as Chief Medical Officer. He pushed for rapid advancement in medical research, including trying to perfect the "magic infused medicines" that Rasana had prototyped. In his time in the position, he did in fact manage to perfect them, along with other medicines... however, there was a darker side to his research. While it was true that he made great strides in the field of medicine, it was discovered after 14 years of service that his research often had gross ethical violations. Test subjects were often treated unjustly or even inhumanely, so the public made a large outcry for his removal. However, with La'Hansi's entry into the First Khivann War, the Royals were hesitant to switch Chief Medical Officers, fearing a change in command could be a sign of instability and weakness during the war. Thus, despite his lack of popularity, Bader remained in the position until the end of the war. 'The Third' When the War ended in 1995 TC, public attention once again turned to Bader's unethical actions. With his approval rating plummeting by the day, the Royal Council ended up having no choice but to remove him, lest the indignation against him compromise the stability of their kingdom. At this point, the Royal Council decided to use much more scrutiny in selecting the next Chief Medical Officer; with the approval rating so low, they would need someone who could repair the damage done to the reputation of the position. However, someone managed to catch their eye... A young noblewoman had a growing reputation within the medical community of La'Hansi, and was making great strides in the fields of medicine and healing. Not only was she a noble, but it seemed as though this woman was the granddaughter of the First Chief Medical Officer, Lady Rasana Whittaker. Considering that this woman was well known for her knowledge and expertise, the fact that she came from such a distinguished family made her appear the best choice. Not only that, but given Rasana's popularity with the people, this woman could perhaps be able to restore the sanctity of the position. Thus, the Royal Council offered the position of Chief Medical Officer to Gwen Whittaker, making her the youngest person to hold the position in La'Hansi's history. Gwen is now the current Chief Medical Officer, and despite her rather brash personality, is known for her devotion to healing and the preservation of life. As such, despite being a relatively new addition to the position, the citizens began to once again believe in the Chief Medical Officer. To this day, despite having to balance her duties of combating the Order of Veyerus, she continues her medical research and healing duties, and has become known for being quite passionate about her work... even if her personality can sometimes rub people the wrong way.